


The Ghost of You

by NofrictionJustfiction



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Draco Malfoy - Freeform, F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Sad, Second War with Voldemort, Slytherin, Slytherin Common Room
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25698310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NofrictionJustfiction/pseuds/NofrictionJustfiction
Summary: A prompt request I received on Tumblr: "Nobody's seen you in days."
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader
Kudos: 57





	The Ghost of You

Armed with their blanket, book and wand, (Y/N) tiptoed across the eerily quiet and empty Slytherin common room and over to the black leather couch sat by the fireplace. Cocooning themselves comfortably in their blanket and making sure that the fire’s light illuminated the pages of their book, did they begin to read.

And as the night turned into morning, (Y/N) remained awake; (Y/E/C) eyes only closing momentarily to blink away the tiredness. Soon, however, the words on the pages began to blur as (Y/N)’s eyelids grew heavy from lack of sleep.

_One more chapter, just one more,_ (Y/N)’s inner mantra sounded off as they finished the one chapter and started the next. But their mind’s desire for wakefulness was consumed by their body’s pleas for rest; (Y/N) finally fell asleep, novel still in hand. 

As (Y/N) fell into a deep sleep, did the person they were waiting up for arrive. Platinum blonde hair and pale skin--which now had an unprecedented sickly tinge to it--contrasting against the darkness of the common room, it seemed as if it was the _ghost_ of Draco Malfoy who had just entered the common room--not him.

Just as he was about to leave the commons space to go to his room did he see (Y/N). With an annoyed huff, he made his way over to the couch to wake and then promptly lecture them about sleeping in the common room. Yet, once he stood next to (Y/N)’s sleeping form, he softened. From the sounds of (Y/N)’s slow but soft breathing, to the dark circles under their eyes, the Prefect realized that they were as exhausted as he was. And that the lecture would have to wait until breakfast. 

Just as he went to leave, he felt a hand on his wrist,

“Draco, wait, please. I need to talk to you.” (Y/N) begged, voice gravelly from sleep.

“It’s almost three in the morning (Y/N), I’m not waiting. I’m tired and going to bed, and you should, too,” he responded shortly, tugging his wrist out from their grasp.

Walking away, he was almost to his dorm when he was forced to stop again,

“I’ve been waiting up for you all week. You can’t wait to talk with me for five minutes?”

Impatient and sleep-starved, he turned back to face (Y/N), wanting to put a fast-end to the confrontation, “I didn’t ask you to stay up for me. Just go to bed, for the love of Merlin!”

Both shocked at his outburst, the two Slytherins stared at one another, the only sound in the room being the crackling fire--which seemed to surge as Draco’s emotions did.

After a moment, (Y/N) hesitantly spoke up, “I’m just worried about you, Draco. **Nobody’s seen you in days** , I haven’t spoken to you all week, you’ve been missing classes and you look--I don’t even know if I can say this--,” (Y/N) shamefully admitted, looking down at their lap.

“Just say it,” Draco urged, “tell me what I look like.”

Unbeknownst to (Y/N), their best friend knew _exactly_ what he looked like. The stress from the mission his Dark Lord tasked him with caused his physical appearance to turn ghastly. 

Looking into his grey eyes, (Y/N) told him, “You look like you died, Draco. It’s like my best friend is a ghost.”

Swallowing thickly at their admission, Draco harshly blinked as a way to keep the tears in his eyes from falling.

Getting up from the couch, (Y/N) padded over to Draco, wanted to envelope him in a hug. But as they neared him, his stance became defensive, so they resolved to stand, albeit awkwardly, a few feet away from him. 

“I just want to know what’s wrong, Dray. You know you can tell me anything.” 

Draco’s heart hurt upon hearing those words; ever since he met (Y/N), he knew he could trust them with anything, so for them to feel the need to remind him that as if they were strangers, a part of him broke. 

_This is my fault,_ he thought, _but it’s also my secret. If Voldemort were to find out that I told (Y/N), they would be killed.  
_

“I know (Y/N), I know. But I swear... I just can’t,” he said, voice cracking. Looking at them, his vision blurred with tears, he bid them a quick good night before he could change his mind and tell them of everything that had been going on in his life--and risk having their life jeopardized, too.

Alone again, (Y/N) watched as Draco hurried off to bed.

“Ok, Draco. I love you,” they said out loud, to no one. 


End file.
